Body Stuffed Into Bag, Bank Manager & Wife Held

Durgapur:The manager of a nationalised bank Rajib Kumar and his wife Manisha were arrested in Durgapur on Thursday after the decomposing, 28-year-old woman, was found stuffed in a bag in their apartment.

Shilpa Agarwal, who had joined SBI’s Mejhia branch as Bank mitra, had gone missing since February 10. According to sources, shilpa and Rajib engaged in affairs and Shilpa visited Rajib’s flat many times. His wife Manisha, also arrested, is an SBI staffer too.

On Thursday, a neighbour of the Kumars at Durgapur’s Benachity Bazaar, where the couple has a flat in Rupali Apartments, alerted the cops about a stench. The cops found a violet strolley bag, in which the body was stuffed, in a storeroom. The Kumars were taken to Durgapur police station and later charged with murder, based on a complaint from Shilpa’s family. The body was sent for autopsy.

Shilpa’s family had lodged a missing complaint at Mejhia PS on Tuesday. “On February 9, she had left the house saying she will visit relatives in Asansol,” said Shilpa’s brother-in-law Sandip Ghuwania. “She did go to Asansol but left her relative’s home at 5.30pm. Next day, she said she was in Asansol and would return a few days later. Thereafter, her mobile was switched off. The bank manager had taken Rs 1 lakh from Shilpa to invest in stocks, but he was not returning the money.”

Police sources said there were marks of struggle on the body. According to them, Kumar said Shilpa had killed herself, after which he panicked and stuffed the body in the bag. “The cause of the death will be clear once the autopsy report arrives,” said Abhishek Modi, the deputy commissioner of Durgapur police.